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Nick Santoleri | Chief Operating Officer, Rockline Industries
Phillip Mango | Associate Consultant, Smithers
Phillip Mango has spent almost forty years in nonwovens, starting in 1981 with Air Products and Chemicals, where he was the Manager of the Nonwovens Group. Air Products was the major supplier of latex binders to major nonwovens used in wipes, notably airlaid and DRC (double recrepe). In 1991, he left Air Products to join Walkisoft USA as Director of Technology. Walkisoft was the largest global producer of airlaid at that time. Sensing a need for a more innovative, specialty oriented airlaid producer, Mr. Mango started his own airlaid business and designed and built a specialty airlaid line in 1997. This company, Airformed Composites, was one of the early developers of commercial multibonded airlaid for baby wipes, as well as other unique products and process advances. In 2000, Concert Industries acquired Airformed Composites and Mr. Mango. With Concert, Mr. Mango was the Director of Product Development. In 2002, Mr. Mango left Concert to start his own consulting business, Phillip Mango Consulting, LLC. Over the last 18 years, Mr. Mango has consulted extensively in the wipes market, technology, nonwovens and raw materials. He has authored numerous studies on flushable wipes, the global wipes market and technology, and other nonwovens related subjects.
Markku Koivisto, M.Sc. (Technology), serves as the Executive Vice President of EMEA and Chief Technology Officer at Suominen Corporation. Markku has deep expertise in sustainable innovation, such as plastic-free solutions and the use of alternative fiber sources in nonwovens. Before joining Suominen, Markku was the Head of Global Business Development at UPM Raflatac, and prior to that, the Vice President of Biocomposites Business Unit at UPM-Kymmene.
Richard Knowlson has an Honors Degree [BSc (Hons)] from Trent University in the UK. He currently owns RPK Consulting LLC which he founded in March 2019. Previously he worked for almost ten years with Jacob Holm leading their Business Development & Product Development activity. His team there was responsible for developing the unique technology currently being used as a leading Moist Toilet Tissue product.
Richard has worked in the Airlaid and Spunlace industries in Technical Development roles for more than 30 years and has multiple patents in these technologies. He has served on the INDA Board of Directors and has written and presented multiple papers at EDANA and INDA meetings all over the world.
David M Jackson completed a BSc. Chemical Engineering at UC Swansea (Wales) in 1976, then went on to complete an MSChE at University of Washington (Seattle) in 1978. David was a Senior Technical Leader at Kimberly Clark for 38+ years at headquarters sites in Wisconsin and Georgia, with a primary focus on nonwoven composites for wiping, absorbency, disposable elastic composites and treatment chemistry and processes. After taking retirement in 2018, David started a non-wovens consultancy, Material/Process Connexxions. David holds >60 US materials and process patents and > 200 worldwide
After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Matthias gained two years of industry experience in the product management department of an international company. Subsequently, he decided to focus on the topic of sustainability, completed a Master’s degree and a PhD in “Life Cycle and Sustainability”. Within the empirical part of his PhD project, he built up extensive experience in the application of LCA in industry, more specifically in the aluminum industry. At nova, Matthias has successfully completed many LCA projects, which since have been peer reviewed, and led strategy workshops for companies.
Coming soon
Fasie Malherbe, President of KINDCLOTH™, is a serial entrepreneur with a diverse background in nutrition, wellness, and scalable tech solutions. His journey into health began with personal challenges in improving his well-being, which led to his deep dive into personalized nutrition and the transformative power of daily health commitments. Fasie, often a 'guinea pig' for his products, exemplifies the impact of scientifically-backed nutrition and wellness practices.
Fasie's entrepreneurial spirit ignited at nine years old with the sale of hand-painted clay pots. He has since founded and successfully sold multiple businesses, including the ed-tech company Lobster Ink, acquired by Ecolab, and the award-winning Roundhouse & Rumbullion restaurants, as well as the wine and spirits distributor Under the Influence.
Now at KINDCLOTH™, Fasie leverages his extensive experience to revolutionize personal hygiene with innovative, environmentally friendly solutions. His dedication to improving health and hygiene drives KINDCLOTH™'s mission to offer sustainable hygiene products, changing the world one wipe at a time.
Anna-Sophie Fischer holds a bachelor degree in Environmental System Science from University of Graz and a master degree in Biotechnology from Wels University of Applied Science. She started her career in research on biofuels out of algae and then moved to EVER Pharma as a Product Specialist in R&D for 8 years. Since 2021 she works as Project Manager for LENZING™ Nonwoven Technology at Lenzing AG.
Marion, working as head of R&D, is shareholder in Gruppo X di X Gruppo srl, a company generating patents on innovations in the packaging and mainly paper sector, developing them with industrial partners and licensing patents, know how and technology. She is co-author of the base patents of Gruppo X’s developments and has been working since 1990 in the field of process and material innovation.
Gruppo X’s technologies, patents and know how have been licensed in Sweden, Japan, USA, Canada and Mexico.
Marion holds degrees in architecture from Germany and Italy.
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Mr. Thomas Weigert joined the Go Wipes advisory board to provide his broad machinery, process and application knowledge of nonwoven production.
Since 1997 he is working at Trützschler Nonwovens, the former Fleissner GmbH, in Egelsbach near Frankfurt/Germany, who is one of the leading suppliers of nonwoven production lines and machinery.
For almost 20 years in various positions he gained wide experience in the design and development of nonwoven production equipment and also in the technological requirements for nonwoven substrates. Today in the position as Director Application Technology Mr. Weigert holds technological responsibility for Fleissner AquaJet, Through Air Drying and Wetlaid Spunlace (WLS).
Mr. Weigert got his degree in mechanical engineering at Darmstadt Technical University in August 1989 and started his professional life in the design and development of automotive brake systems before entering into the nonwoven industry.
Martin Henderson is UK Technical Director at Rockline Industries Ltd. Martin has a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Leicester and joined Rockline in 2015, progressing through a number of technical roles before taking on his current role leading the UK Technical Team in supporting Rockline's UK & European customers
Brieuc Lits is the Public Affairs Director at EDANA, joining the organization in June 2024. In this role, Brieuc oversees the advocacy activities of the association, including fostering relationships with EU stakeholders.
Prior to this, he worked in public affairs and communications at various European associations, focusing on sustainability, chemical legislation, energy, and employment.
Brieuc holds a PhD in Political Communication from the Université libre de Bruxelles, where his doctoral dissertation centered on EU lobbying. Additionally, he holds two master's degrees: one in Public Relations and another in Management from UCLouvain.
Philippe Wijns is a global leader and expert in nonwovens and filtration, specializing in spunbond and meltblown technologies, hydroentanglement, carding, and needle-punching. With a prosperous career at various global market leaders in these fields, Philippe recently launched his brand, CleverSustainability. As a sustainable business development advisor, he successfully helps mid-sized and smaller companies develop sustainable strategies, comply with Green Deal and CSRD reporting, and grow their businesses and market visibility.
Philippe holds a bachelor’s degree in medicine and chemistry from the Catholic University of Leuven, a Master’s in Strategic Marketing from Maastricht School of Management, and a postgraduate degree in International Business and Transfer Pricing. He is also a certified expert in Sustainable Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, where he in addition studies Renewable Energy. Frankfurt is his hometown.
Geoffrey Gendebien holds a Masters Degree in Engineering from the University of Liege, Belgium and a Management Certificate from the University of Toronto, Ontario
He has over 20 years’ experience in operations, sales and strategic marketing in the Composites, Polymers and, Packaging industries. He has worked and lived in Europe and North America and, has held global responsibilities.
Over the last 5 years, he has been managing product lines and Market Segments in Composites and Flexible Packaging. He is currently managing the Home and Personal Care Market for Amcor in EMEA. He is driving innovation projects and aligning internal resources to deliver appealing value propositions and, successful innovative solutions to his markets.
Valeria Branca, a graduate with honors from the University of Luiss Guido Carli with a II Master's degree in International Public Affairs, embarked on her professional journey after gaining diverse experiences in Spain, Cyprus, and Strasbourg, where she contributed to initiatives at the Council of Europe. In 2021, she transitioned to the Extended Producer Responsibility Alliance (EXPRA) in Brussels, Belgium, assuming the role of Project Manager.
Throughout her tenure at EXPRA, Valeria has honed her skills in crafting comprehensive position papers and impactful statements on the circular economy. Her responsibilities extend to spearheading stakeholder engagement efforts, fostering collaboration with diverse entities such as businesses, governmental bodies, and regional and global platforms.
Valeria's role also entails maintaining an extensive database of best practices in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) shared by EXPRA's 34 member organizations worldwide, representing packaging and packaging waste recovery systems from 30 countries. She collaborates closely with esteemed partners such as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the European Commission (EC) to devise coherent and high-quality strategies encompassing environmentally beneficial policies and programs
Geoffrey Gendebien holds a master’s degree in Engineering from the University of Liege, Belgium and a Management Certificate from the University of Toronto, Ontario
He has over 20 years’ experience in operations, sales and strategic marketing in the Composites, Polymers and, Packaging industries. He has worked and lived in Europe and North America and, has held global roles.
Within Amcor EMEA business, Geoffrey has managed the Stand-up Pouch product line and he is currently managing the Home and Personal Care alongside baby nutrition Markets.
PhD in polymer chemistry with several years in materials research and development - focusing on coatings and adhesive
20+ years in Film manufacturing as product manager for Labels and Graphics concentrating on self-adhesive markets
Time out of the PSL market as Senior Product Manager at AkzoNobel - Anti-Corrosion and Heavy Duty Coatings for Marine and Off-shore Assets.
Joined FSA in 2024 as Product Manager Films covering the above markets.
Chema Estrada holds a BS in Industrial and Electrical Engineering from the University of Seville, Spain, and a BA in Business Management Communication from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With Spanish citizenship and international experience in Melbourne, Green Bay, Chicago, and New York, Chema has spent the past 25 years in the paper and nonwoven industries. Notably, he dedicated five years to motion control air linear servo motor robots at Rockwell Allen Bradley in New York. Since 2017, he has excelled as a Sales Manager at IMA Teknoweb, overseeing the WELA region (Western Europe and Latin America).
Martina Heldermann is an engineer of chemistry and technology of cosmetics and detergents and started her career 2000 as applications project manager within the cosmetic industry.
In May 2003 she joined Chemisches Laboratorium Dr. Kurt Richter (CLR) in Berlin/ Germany as Key Account Manager2005 and became additionally Sales Director Germany.
April 2008, she started working for Inolex Chemical Company and opened their first subsidiary in Berlin/ Germany, first as Sales than as Sales & Marketing Manager Europe.
Beginning of September 2013, she joined Kahl GmbH (Trittau/ Germany) as International Sales and Technical Manager and became January 2016 Technical Director with the additional responsibilities of the application lab, new product development, and global marketing. Since 2019 she was additionally heading the CSR-team.
After 10 years at Kahl GmbH she has decided to accept a new challenge and joined November
1st, 2023, Arxada as Senior Manager EMEA, CMC Technical Support & Development.
After studying chemistry in Munich and earning his doctorate, he was working as a research associate in the group of Nobel Prize winner Prof. G. A. Olah at the USC in Los Angeles . Afterwards, Roland Knieler drove the development of modern wound products at Beiersdorf AG.
This was followed by various positions at BODE Chemie GmbH, including Head of Product Development and subsequently Director of Research/Development. He then became Director of Marketing/Sales, and finally served as sole Managing Director for almost five years.
Roland Knieler was involved in the Industry and Research Committee of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK), in the Hamburg Chamber of Commerce and as a long-standing board member of the Industrial Association for Hygiene and Surface Protection (IHO). The issue of "women in leadership positions" has always been one of his concerns:
For the exemplary implementation of "Mixed Leadership", BODE Chemie GmbH, which he leads, was awarded the Helga Stödter Prize in 2012.
In 2015, he founded Knieler & Team GmbH.